Australia Day, 26 January, is the anniversary of the arrival of the First Fleet of 11 convict ships from Great Britain, and the raising of the Union Jack at Sydney Cove by its commander Captain Arthur Phillip, in 1788.

(To read a comprehensive history of the evolution of Australia Day, click here).

I thought about you yesterday — my calendar alerted me to Australia Day even before I saw your post. I couldn’t imagine what sort of festivities (ceremonies, I mean, or observances) could possibly be taking place given the catastrophic situation in Queensland and now, I gather, in Victoria. Did the country stop for a moment of silence? I’m serious. And have you been affected? I hope you’re all right.

Australians, like so many people, are resilient. Down here, fires and floods and droughts are events that happen, and people seem to just get on and cope with it. I admire them.

I just hope the financial fallout doesn’t dissolve into a political bun fight. There are already signs of that, with the Federal Opposition bleating about what the government is proposing. I wonder what they (opposition) would suggest? They don’t say. Darn it, just pull together on this one, it’s more important than political point scoring.

I live in an area that shouldn’t get flooded : if we do, the country is in deep doo-doo!! We do get isolated when the water cuts the highways, but that’s no big deal, is it. Cyclones .. another topic!

Thank you for thinking of us, Down Under. The repercussions will last for a long time, I’m sure.